


The Frenchie in my Heart

by RhiD29



Category: Women's Hockey RPF
Genre: Canadian Women's National Ice Hockey Team, F/F, United States Women's National Ice Hockey Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-10
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-13 03:39:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12975075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RhiD29/pseuds/RhiD29
Summary: Hilary knew she had a type. She couldn't even deny it. But she never thought that long-distance relationship could last...





	The Frenchie in my Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is a bit long, I tried to cover all the things I noticed between those two in the last years. I could have make this a multi-chapter story, but I didn't know where to cut it. On that, I hope you'll enjoy reading as much as I loved writing this.

Hilary couldn’t deny it. She definitely had a type. In the last 5 years, she had dated two different girls, and they were quite similar: they were brunettes, and both of them spoke French. Geneviève was bilingual since she was born, her father being francophone and mother anglophone. She had grown up in Ontario and Quebec, moving from one military base to another. Hilary got to know the French Ontarian as Geneviève decided to stay in Boston after graduating from university. They played together with the Blades and Hilary fell in love. Her family in law spoke English, so she never really learned to speak French. She knew some words in and there, like _je t’aime, s’il vous plait, merci, bonjour_ , but it was pretty much it. And again, she knew what they meant, but her pronunciation was atrocious.

Her relationship with Gen lasted about two years. They faced at the Olympics in Sochi, where Geneviève got the gold even if she had not played a minute. She was the third goalie. Hilary was at some point jealous of her, but she didn’t say anything. She knew as soon as she saw the Canadians placed for that power play in overtime that it was over. And Hilary was to blame, she was one of the girls in the penalty box! She could have blame Kelli Stack for hitting the post on an empty net, but she was not that kind of teammate. They were supposed to have that Team first mentality, after all.

After the Olympics, she spent some time in her girlfriend’s family. Gen’s nephew was just so cute, and Hilary liked keeping an eye on Ethan with Geneviève when her brother and his wife had to go out. Gen was living with her brother in Cape Cod, to save money.

Everything changed during that summer. Gen and she started arguing on things that really didn’t matter, and at some point, they broke up. Playing on the same team felt weird for a good part of the year. Hilary promised herself not to fall in love again before the Olympics. She wanted the gold medal, and couldn’t be distracted by anything. There was nothing that would stop her. She was now the face of team USA.

The summer later, her national team decided together to go in the brand new NWHL. Hilary didn’t mind at all, she knew her ex was not switching. Hockey Canada looked like they were trying to keep their girl in Canada, or at least, in the Canadian league. She’d miss playing the Canadians, but it was not her fault if they didn’t want to get paid! Ok, Hilary was not sure if the NWHL was going to last a season, but if Olympian didn’t switch to their own country, it was an absolute fail. And they needed more team in the US.

Her promise to stay single didn’t last long. Some girl in the Boston team had thrown a party and Kacey had invited Marie-Philip, who was playing the Blades that weekend. The latest, who didn’t want to be the only girl not playing with the Prides, invited her best friend Karell. When Hilary saw her, she knew she liked her. Her French accent was nice, she looked really friendly. It was clear Karell was someone who liked going out, and Marie definitely looked the shyer in the group. The girl was clearly not captain of her country of the Fabs for being vocal. But Hilary knew she led by example and she was probably a good captain.

She spent some time with Kacey, Marie and Karell. She learned Kaxy, like they called her, was a new player for the Fabs, despite being around Hilary’s age. The years before, she was coaching in USA.

Hilary realised that Karell and she were getting along well. She was a funny person, and Hilary fell in love. The American wanted to see the Quebecer again. They spent the rest of the evening taking about hockey, universities, their season… Conversation wasn’t hard to make with her. Kacey and Marie-Philip left at some point, and Hilary was surprised Karell was not heading to her hotel. Hilary knew she was supposed to go to bed soon, so was the other girls, but she wanted to know more the brunette.

              “We should do something next time you visit Boston. I have to go soon, and Meghan and Brianna are clearly trying to have my attention right now, but you seem fun to hang out with, Kaxy.” Hilary said. She didn’t know what the Quebecer would think of her proposition, but she was hoping for a yes.  

              “Yeah, cool. And yeah, they clearly want to talk to you, go!”

She joined her friends. Meghan spoke first.

              “You clearly like her, don’t even try to deny it! I think you might have a type…”

Hilary made a face. What? A type? What was she talking about? Brianna laughed.

              “Well, she is brunette… and speak French… doesn’t it rings you a bell?”

              “You’re not making a comparison with Geneviève, aren’t you? Please… I don’t want to talk about my ex now…”

              “Ok, then. What did you talk about with Kaxy?”

Hilary sighed. Really?

              “Kacey told me that she was gay, in case you wanted to know.” Meghan said.  “Marie told her, and they live together in Montreal, so I guess Golden girl knows what she talks about… oh, and she is single…”

Did Marie try to get her best friend a girlfriend? Wow! Hilary would have never guessed Marie-Philip could be that kind of girl. She looked so shy… Hilary then realised what Meghan had just told her. Karell was single? Hilary felt relieved, and she realised she was also probably blushing.

The first thing she did the next morning was to look at the Canadiennes schedule. Were they coming back in Boston before the end of the season? Hilary was disappointed. How was she supposed to see Karell, now?

Zoe entered at the same time in Hilary’s room.

              “Hey, do you know anyone that coach that could join us in Alaska for the hockey camp in June? I need maybe two coaches more!”

She couldn’t propose Karell Émard, they barely knew each other… or why not? She had coached university level, after all. Ok, she was the assistant coach, but it was way better than Hilary’s coaching level, right? And Hilary was going with Kacey and Decker, and Carson Duggan. She was sure Kacey would like to invite Marie-Philip. She could ask Kacey to let Kaxy know they needed another person? And Carson and Karell probably also knew each other from Saint Lawrence University, right?

She immediately texted Kacey.

              “Bells, I need to see Kax again. Can you tell Marie we need two coaches in Alaska?”

Instead of Bellamy, it was Poulin that replied.

_I would absolutely love to go in Alaska. And I’m sure Karell would feel the same, I’m texting her right now! – Pou_

So Poulin had spent the night in her girlfriend’s bed instead of at the hotel… rebel! Hilary felt the butterflies in her stomach. She was going to see Karell again. June was quite far, but it was better than nothing.

She surprised herself spying Karell’s Instagram profile and try not to like anything – especially things dating from three years –  so Karell wouldn’t know about it. She decided to follow her. Then, Karell added her on snapchat.

              _How did you find me?_

_Come on, you wrote it on your Instagram bio! Can you explain why The evening?_

They started talking just like that. After some weeks, Hilary was sending more texts and snaps to Kax than any of her friends.

Karell was as obsessed with Winnie that Hilary was after adopting the puppy. The Quebecer admitted having to hold herself a little from reposting every picture Hilary was posting. Hilary couldn’t wait to see her again, but at the same time, she was a bit scared. What if the feelings were gone once they see each other again?

Hilary had to go to New York City for a short trip. When she learned Karell loved shopping, she invited her to come with her. That’s how she ended up doing the Boston - New York City trip with a stop… at Pierre-Elliot Trudeau airport! She didn’t post on her Instagram where she was, but she did on Winnie’s account Karell insisted she create. Karell actually posted all his picture during the trip. Hilary even trusted her with her GoPro. And she was pretty good at filming, Hilary didn’t have to edit all of it.

They had plenty of time to talk, and Hilary liked getting to know Karell more. She seemed to be an smart women, and knew what she wanted in life. And Karell was as funny as Hilary, so the American knew she’d fit with her.

              “You’d like to go on a walk in Central Park?” Karell proposed.

It was a great plan, so they put Winnie on leash and went out. They must have walked for an hour, and then, couch potato Winston decided it was enough. He just sat in the middle of the way.

              “Winnie, come on, we’ll never go home if you make the statue,” Karell said. She looked serious, but Hilary could see she just wanted to laugh.

Nothing to do, the dog wanted to sleep. They had to force him to at least go to the nearest bench where the girls could at least sit.

              “Do you really have to go back to Boston?” Karell asked. “I’d like to spend more time with you. Why don’t you come in Montréal for a weekend?”

Hilary wanted to say yes, but sadly she had some other plans before going to Alaska. She could see the disappointment in the Frenchie’s eyes.

              “I don’t have a lot of plans for this summer, I’ll have plenty of time to cross the border.”

That’s the moment Karell decided to hold her hand. She made a shy smile and looked down. Hilary wanted to laugh. Public affection was Karell’s weakness? Or she was just not sure she’d take it well? The American wanted to kiss the Quebecer, but she didn’t want to rush things.

Karell didn’t let go of her hand for the whole way back. It was her who had the leash, and for some reasons, the dog seemed to listen more to her than his owner. Hilary pretended she was hurt by this, but they ended up laughing on the way back. That’s only when they were at the hotel that Karell let go of her hand, but Hilary decided it was the time to steal a kiss. She approached her slowly, and gave her a soft one. Karell gave her back, and the dog decided he wanted little kissed too, so he jumped on them.

              “Winnie!”

They ended up laughing and went back to their room where Hilary had to watch for her feet, so she wouldn’t trip on the million boxes on the floor Karell had left from her shopping day. Hilary thought at first it was a joke when Kaxy had said she had a thousand pair of shoes and high heels, but maybe she was not kidding after all.

Leaving Karell at the airport was hard for Hilary. She just wanted to take that same flight. They barely knew each other, but she knew she was in love. She just couldn’t wait for that trip in Alaska.

They kept in touch with texts and video calls. She must have sent millions of pictures of Winnie. Karell insisted that Hilary made him an Instagram. After all, she was posting so much pictures of him, fans would follow him if they wanted to see the puppy.

She left the bulldog to Otter when it was time to leave for Alaska. She was so excited to finally see Karell again. Coaching with friends was something Hilary was looking forward to doing, and she knew how much taking the Isobel Cup to Alaska meant for Zoe. She was going in Idaho with it some weeks later. She had to ask to her new girlfriend if she wanted to come. She wanted her parents to meet her. Cynthia had heard so much about Karell lately, it was a no-brainer for Hilary to present her new girlfriend to her mom.

Marie-Philip and Karell’s flight finally got in Anchorage, and Zoe drove them at the hotel. Hilary and Karell were sharing a room, so did Marie and Kacey. Decker and Carson Duggan were also in another room. The Hickel sisters showed their friends their favorite places in town. Then, they went golfing. It was not Hilary’s favorite sport, but she was teamed up with her girlfriend, which made it ok. She had to pretend she was going peeing at least two times because she lost badly her ball. At least Karell was comprehensive about it and didn’t laugh too much. She made her do a video about it, though. She liked as much as Hilary filming herself, so the American knew she could let her GoPro in good hands if needed.

Spending time with Karell was awesome, and Hilary enjoyed every minute they had together. They went out for a date in a nice restaurant Zoe had told Hilary about. Hilary obviously paid for her girlfriend, as she was a nice person. She also took her chance they were alone to ask her to come in Idaho with her.

              “Yes, obviously I want to meet your parents. And know the place where you grew up.”

Hilary couldn’t stay sit because of the excitement. She had to refrain from immediately calling her mom to tell her the news.

              “Did you think I was going to say no?” Karell asked, after seeing her girlfriend’s reaction.

              “No, but I was scared you’d have something else…”

Karell rolled her eyes.

Hilary didn’t tell her one thing: The cup was also going to be there. She didn’t know how the Frenchie would react, as she had lost her Clarkson Cup to Calgary. Hilary knew Kax was happy for her winning the Isobel, but she still didn’t want to hurt her more.

They returned to the hotel, where they finished the night as romantically that it started. She felt great next to Karell, and they slept in spoons for most of the night.

It’s Brianna who woke her up by knocking at the door the next morning. Hilary looked at the time, she had not heard the alarm clock. Maybe she forgot to set it, too busy to take out Kaxy’s clothes? She put on the closest t-shirt she could find, put on some pants, and opened.

              “Nice t-shirt! Are you girls coming, we’re waiting for you for ten minutes at the entrance. You never replied to my messages, nor Kacey’s or Marie-Philip’s… We have to be at the arena in like… twenty minutes!”

Hilary made big eyes. How did she and Karell never heard anything? And why Decker commented on the clothes she was wearing?

She said she was coming and closed the door. She then looked down to see what she had pick. A Canadiennes de Montréal t-shirt. Oh… Karell must have dropped it in Hilary’s bag.

              “Kax, wake up, we’re late. We only have time to dress and go.”

It took a good minute for the American to wake the Quebecer up. Karell didn’t seem to be a morning person.

They finally made it in time. The girls didn’t look that happy about the waiting, but they didn’t comment on that. Hilary heard Marie talking in French to her best friend. She wished she could understand a word of it. Golden Girl probably wanted to have some details about the evening Hilary and Kax spent. The American was hoping she wouldn’t say all about it. It would be embarrassing if Karell started talking about what they do in bed…

The camp went well, and kids were happy. How couldn’t they be, they had the two most talented female hockey players to teach them! They might be rivals on the ice, but Hilary knew the rivalry with Canada was only in arenas. After all, there was a few Canada-USA couples. Caro and Chuey, Gill and Meghan, Jayna Hefford and Kathleen Kauth… she had herself dated Geneviève Lacasse… Hilary knew the time when they wouldn’t talk to each other was long ago. A lot of Canadian were studying in the United States, they couldn’t like, not have any friends during their time in the NCAA, right? Hilary had roomed with Carolyne Prévost during her time with the Badgers.

Some weeks later, Karell was in Sun Valley. Her parents were happy to meet her, and Karell was getting along with them. She had camaraderie with Hilary’s brothers, and the American knew things would turn out just fine. Karell was completely in for climbing the mountain with Cynthia and her. Hilary knew she’d like the view just as much as her. Kax wanted to know Hilary’s favorite places, and she was served. Hilary pitched softly the GoPro to her girlfriend, knowing she was better with cameras than her mother.

They ate at the top, and then took a few pictures with the Cup Hilary had brought. Some picture on Instagram later, they went back home where they relaxed. They did some family activities during their trip, before taking a flight for Boston.

They drove to Montreal with Casper. Hilary was a bit nervous about visiting her girlfriend’s province. What if she didn’t like the city? Or no one could serve her in English anywhere? Her in-laws didn’t speak much English, and Hilary was freaking out about it. Karell claimed she was alright doing the translator, but Hilary knew she’d have to grab some French books or download some apps to learn at least the basics.  She barely remembered how to say, “Hi” properly, even if she knew Geneviève had showed her that a few years before when they visited her dad.

The road was long, Hilary was happy Karell was driving some parts. They finally got into Karell and Marie-Philip’s apartment. They had a dinner at Kax’s parents. Hilary found herself stressing for it more than for a gold medal game.

              “Don’t worry about it. I met your parents and it was totally fine, why wouldn’t it be with _my_ parents?”

              “I don’t speak French! They could… I don’t know… not like me? What if you go to the bathroom and I can’t say anything?”

Karell ended up laughing. Then claimed Hilary was ridiculous.

Everything turned out to be fine as soon as they stepped in the house. Except when Karell told Hilary to take out her shoes after entering. She suddenly felt so embarrassed, but her parents were so welcoming that she forgot that as soon as she was introduced to them. They were nice people, and they seemed to like her as well.

The summer went by fast. Hilary and Karell visited each other every time they could. The American started to like Montreal more than she thought she’d do. She loved Mount Royal, and spending time with Chuey. She decided to sign again with the Prides, but almost regretted her decision. She felt like she missed Karell a lot when the season started. And even her Saint-Lawrence hoodie that smelled like her was not enough to comfort her. To add more, she kind of injured her foot, so she had to step away. She just wanted to go in Montreal with Kax, but she had instead to stay with her team to support them. When they were playing away and the Fabs were not playing, though, she was taking Winnie and drove Casper in Montreal.

              “What the hell are you doing here?” Marie-Philip said, once, opening her apartment door on the American, who didn’t announce her presence.

              “I missed too much Kaxy.”

Hilary felt like crying. She just crashed on the sofa. And then she learned that Karell was at Katia’s house. Marie tried comforting her, but it was not what she needed. She was pissed. She couldn’t play, and she was living hundreds of miles from her lover. Winnie tried giving her kisses to help her feel better, but it was no use either. She just needed one person: Karell Émard.

Marie gave her a blanket and a hoodie that belonged to Kax, and made hot chocolate.

              “It makes me feel better when I’m down, so I thought you might like it.”

Hilary smiled at her supposedly rival. She was not only a great player, but a greatest person. She was someone to have in your group of friends.

Hilary drank the hot beverage before lying down and putting her head on Marie’s lap. She started crying, and she didn’t even know why.

It wasn’t long before she heard the door opening, and the dog running to see who it was.

              “Hey, Winnie, good to see you too!”

Hilary sat in the couch and looked at her girlfriend. She didn’t even look surprised to see the dog.

              “Marie texted me. I came as soon as I saw her message. What’s wrong babe? And don’t even lie, I can see you cried.”

Instead of talking, Hilary started crying… again. Karell joined her.

              “Hey, I’m here. Shhhh…”

Hilary went to bed with Karell. She explained she had a little fight with Meghan and Brianna. And Zoe. Only Otter was taking her side. She asked Karell what she was doing in Boston.

              “I should have called Meg Hewings instead of Hayley Moore. I want to be with you.”

Karell told her things would get better, and she would get to play soon. And Kax would visit her as often as she could.

Spending time with Karell was the best thing Hilary could do. She felt great. They spent some time playing in the leaves with Winnie the next morning. Hilary didn’t want people to know she was not in Boston, so she posted an old pic of her and Otter. Then, Karell and she went to Concordia University the Quebecer was sometime coaching. The girls looked happy to see the Olympian in visit, but not as much as their Head coach. Julie Chu was excited to see her USA teammate doing a little surprise. Julie was a model to Hilary, and having a talk with her was good. She always had some wise words to say, and that was just what Hilary needed.

She got a call from her USA coach that day asking her if she could play the Four Nation Cup. Knight was hoping so, but she was not so sure about this. The coach decided to still name her on the roster, at worst he’d name someone else.

She went back in Boston feeling much better. She was ready to make everything she could to be back on the ice. She was training with Otter, but was easy on her foot.

She finally got cleared to play with Team USA. She had a good tournament, it was not her best, but not her worst either, especially considering she had not yet played with the Prides. But at the final game, she felt like it was not 100% back, and was actually worse than when the tournament started. She decided to talk to her doctor about that, and they made the decision of not playing before December. Was she even going to play with the Prides before 2017?

Right after the Four Nation, Hilary went in Idaho for Thanksgiving. She enjoyed spending time with her family, she felt like the fall had been tougher than usual. Her mother knew something was up with her daughter, and Cynthia decided to have a little conversation.

              “I feel like I should be in Montreal most of the times. I miss Kax, I want to hear her speak French, I… I don’t know mom…”

Cynthia looked at her daughter.

              “You’re going back to Boston tomorrow, why don’t you go in Montreal? Maybe it would be nice for you to be with her.”

Hilary felt it was a good thing. She knew her love would be in town, Brampton was visiting. She could even go to the game to cheer on her! She texted Kacey. She would probably want to see her girlfriend too. Last time Hilary had gone to Montreal, the Massachusetts girl had accused Hilary of not telling her. Kacey and Hilary were not besties, but Hilary couldn’t let her in Boston alone for a second time in a row.

That’s how they ended in that Brossard arena. Usually, she’s be quiet about where she was, or would publish a Boston picture, but this time, she took a selfie with a Canadiennes autograph card. She was just so happy to be there. Karell was pleasantly surprised to see her. Hilary was a bit surprised no one noticed her except a journalist, Jared Book. She just replied she was there to enjoy some good hockey, and said she missed playing the Canadians.

She took a selfie with Charline and pretended she was a big fan. They then joked, and Hilary asked the girl about her culinary classes she was starting.

The next day, she showed up again to the rink, but this time, Kacey was not there. She had a little fight with Marie, so she stayed alone at the apartment. She enjoyed seeing play her girlfriend, but she wished she could be on the ice playing too. Brampton and Montreal were good teams, physical, and Hilary missed playing those. Especially that now, Brampton and Toronto were catching up Calgary and Montreal, teams were now more equal than ever. For Boston, they were losing pretty much every game, but they were in rebuilt, and sometimes, Hilary felt bad for them.

She spent a little bit of time with Karell after the game before going back to Casper with Kacey, who was silent most of the time. The little fight with Marie-Philip looked like it was becoming bigger, Hilary didn’t know much, she and Karell had not stayed in the apartment to hear their screams. Kacey said something about a deadline for moving out, but not wanting to. Hilary guessed Marie threaten Kacey to break up if she didn’t want to live with her, or something like that. She decided she was not going to talk about it. It was Kacey’s decision. Hilary would totally move with Karell, but Kacey didn’t seem to be ready to leave Massachusetts.

The first thing she did in Boston was to buy herself a ticket for that Bell Center game the Fabs were playing on December 10th. She absolutely wanted to see her girlfriend play in the big arena. She knew it would be awesome. It showed how much the Habs were behind that team. It was the game celebrating the ten years of the CWHL.

She had a meeting with the Prides staff on the Monday.

              “We learned that you and Kacey, but mostly you, were seen at a game in Montreal. What were you doing there?”

Hilary had to explain their relationships with the Frenchies. She thought it was known. The first thing she’s been told is that she had tickets to see a Bruins game… on December 10th.

              “No, I can’t, I have something that day!”

              “That involves you being at the Bell Center? You and Kacey will be at the Bruins game in Boston. You’ve been invited there, and you have appearances to make. Oh, and the fans are wondering why you aren’t at the Prides games to sign autographs, but goes there. So you’re better to be at the next home game and post something about the team.”

Hilary felt she had no choice. She was pissed, and disappointed. She didn’t even like the Bruins! She almost slammed the door leaving the room. She was not playing, and she had now to be in Boston for the most amazing day in women’s hockey in the month? Yeah, there was that December series the week after that, but Hilary wasn’t even sure she’d be playing.

She showed up the next week at the Prides game with a smile on her face. She had realised during the week that she should have done it before, and she missed her fans. She posted a big message on social media to explain, but stayed mostly silent on her injury. She didn’t want them to worry about her.

She spent her day of December 10 in a bad mood. She twitted about it, why wouldn’t she, it was a step making things advance for women’s hockey. She ten posted a picture of Kacey and her at the Bruins’ and smiled like she was having fun. Kacey did, not Hilary. She wished she could teleport herself.

Hilary got cleared to play the December series. Canada ended up winning both. Hilary didn’t play her best, she had not played enough during the season to be on top. But playing was good. She already wished it was January, even if she knew Christmas time would be a great time. She had plans with her family, and with Karell.

She spent the first part of her holiday in Idaho with her parents and siblings. Then, she took a flight for Toronto to see the World junior championship. She posted about being at a USA game. She wanted the fans to think she was spending her week there, but she was going to Montreal right after.

Chuey called her to ask if she could play in a tournament that universities in Montreal were participating, and a team had cancelled last minute. She was totally in, she had never got the chance to play with her former captain since Sochi, and she missed it. And Marie-Philip, Caroline and a few more Fabs players would be there, she wanted to play with them too.

She didn’t expect coming to the arena and Caroline would be waiting for her, with her pee wee Quebec tournament jerseys. They looked way too small for Hilary! They played a game with a 13‑year‑old goalie in net, but it ended well for the last-minute made team. The last thing she expected was to see a journalist asking her question about her being _again_ in town. She said her friends called her in need of players.

              “At an event like this, playing with Caroline Ouellette as opposed to against her and others that you played against in the CWHL, what’s it like to go from opponents to playing together?” Jared Book asked.

“It’s amazing. You have the Canada-US rivalry and then when you kind of step away from that and you get to play with them instead of against them, you have a greater appreciation for other players. Not only did I know she was an amazing player, but to be able to step on the ice with her and know what she’s accomplished, not only in women’s hockey but hockey in general it’s a pretty special opportunity so I hope we have more of those opportunities. It would be great if I could come up here and play.”

Hilary didn’t mean she wanted to face the Fabs in the future. She wanted the leagues to merge, yes. But she wouldn’t necessarily be playing for Boston. She could see herself coming to play in Montreal. After the Olympics, she wanted to move with Karell. And she thought there would be more chances Hilary moves than Karell leaving her family and friends to go again in USA. Hilary was not from Boston, and she knew she wasn’t attached to the team as much as Karell and the Fabs. She would leave her friends behind, but she already had friends in Montreal. Marie, Karell, Katia, Jordanna, Chuey and Caroline. She knew she’d have to move one day, as long-distance relationships were not lasting, she had seen that with Kacey and Marie.

The holiday season went by too fast and Hilary had to go back to Boston. She knew she’d miss Karell a lot, but she was now in shape to play, and definitively was not to miss any other game with the Prides. Being back on the ice with her teammates was the best feeling she could ever have. The Prides were winning most of their games, even if more the season passed, more it was difficult. It showed that Hilary had missed half the season, she was not as much in shape than the rest of the group. She was quite silent on the scoring board.

They lost their last regular game of the season, their actual first lost. The team was disappointed, but the next week was the playoffs, they had to totally focus on their game. Hilary found it weird that there would be only one game to decide who goes to the final game, and that one would be like a day or two after. But at least, the players had got their point: the season couldn’t last to May, not having USA players for the playoffs would have been ridiculous, especially for the Prides.

As expected, Boston went in the Cup game. There was just one last to win, and Hilary was determined to do so. Before her game, she texted a message to Karell, who was also playing he Clarkson Cup.

              “Take your revenge on the Inferno today. They are not gonna have a back to back Clarkson Cup win. Have fun, it’s the last time you might play with some players. And I wish the cups were not at the same time, so you could be here and I could have been there.”

At the exact moment she touched the Send button, she received an almost identical message from Karell. She started to laugh. More timed than this was impossible!

Her cup game didn’t go as expected. No matter how many time they shot on McLaughlin, she was stopping all. And for some reason, Brittney was not as good as usual on her side. They ended up losing the cup – not as badly as the Canadiennes the year before – and the team was completely in shock. Everyone had predicted a Prides win again, and the team was frustrated at themselves. And Otter even more. She had not stopped the puck. Hilary tried to make her feel better, but it was no use. It was silent in the bus on their way back to Boston. Hilary decided to go on Twitter to see the Fabs score, they had to win this one, and she knew it would instantly make her feel better.

The first thing she saw was a GIF of Captain Marie-Philip “proposing” the Clarkson Cup to Caroline Ouellette. They had won it! Hilary let a “YESSSS” let go out of her mouth, and the whole team stared at her.

              “Les Canadiennes won the Clarkson Cup, you really expect me to say nothing?”

She immediately called Karell. If the players were starting to post on social media, her girlfriend could take a call without any problem. She ended up on facetime. She could see Caro and Chuey behind taking the cup together and kissing it, from each side of it. It was the cutest thing Hilary had seen, and there she was, hoping to do it one day with Karell. Hilary couldn’t say if it would be Isobel or Clarky, but she knew she just wanted to play with Karell.

The world championship came too soon, and Hilary didn’t really have the time to visit her love. First of all, Hilary was all over the place in the media with the hashtag. They wanted a fair pay, and even if it would kill her not to go in the World Championship, she knew it was the right thing to do. The number of player they had reach to tell them to refuse USA Hockey’s offer was incredible. But two days before the usual opening Canada-USA game, they had had most of what they were asking.

They won all their games there, on home soil. It was good, especially considering they were probably the only team that did not practice that week. Canada didn’t show up much, even losing to Finland. Hilary knew Karell was going to both country’s game, and she was disappointed with her country’s performance. The American couldn’t ask her to cheer on USA, Karell was there with Marie-Philip’s agent and family! Émilie absolutely wanted to be there to represent her player, and Hilary was sure her girlfriend wished she was there to cheer on her former teammates. But Charline had culinary classes and a job, it was impossible for her to go to Plymouth.

During an off day, she secretly went to see Canada with Karell, the Poulin and the agent. From what Marie-Philip’s parents had to say, Émilie was the best agent their daughter could have asked for. Hilary took that time to ask the girl some question. First of all, it was impressive, she was the only woman agent in Canada, and there was only another one somewhere, in USA probably. The more she talked with her, the more she wished she was her agent. The girl was proud to say she represented Marie-Philip Poulin, and she could see it was the same thing for the player’s family. Émilie was like a friend and she knew what Marie wants and could have. Hilary couldn’t say the same thing of her agent.

The final against Canada, the next day, went in overtime, like the year before. The Americans were ready to win it all, after all, they were on a mission to prove to the world they were the best. They also had their fans behind them, giving 100% support to the team to win, on and off the ice.

Canada didn’t show up that much in OT, and it didn’t take that long before Hilary Knight scored the winning goal. They had done it. They were still on top of the world.

After the world championship, Hilary had some weeks off before the May camp. Hilary was confident about that camp: she knew it would be tough, but she knew she would still make the team. The youngest were more worried than her. Hilary was surprised they would start centralising with only 23 players, which was the number of girls on the Olympic team. Usually, they started with 25, then cut 4 players. The coach wanted to make different, Hilary thought.

During the camp, Hilary decided to go in Aruba with some friends. She called Karell, and Otter to see if one of them was into it. By the time they called her back, some of Hilary’s teammates had heard about it too and were interested. Hilary ended up reserving for more people she could have thought about. And to be honest, it looked a bit like a weird mix: the youngers on Team USA, with Brittany Ott and Karell Émard…

At first, she thought she wouldn’t post picture of her and Kax. But then, she realised she didn’t tell her teammates about that and it was too late. And on her videos, it was hard not to point the camera on her girlfriend.

Her teammates got to learn Karell a bit, and they were getting along quite well, for people that had never met. The girls had a lot of fun doing activities and the week went on way to fast. Hilary wished she had taken a week more, but only with Karell. At least, it was summer, now, they would get to spend more time together.

After a few trip Boston/Montreal, it was time for Hilary to go in Tampa to centralise. Karell decided she would make the trip with Hilary in car. Otter joined them in Boston. They were returning with Casper, instead of making a plane ride. Hilary was not that into not having a car at first, but some of her teammates did have one, and most of the time they would be in group anyway…

              “Thanks for letting me Casper, otherwise I don’t have any car,” Karell said.

Hilary remembered that something had happened to her car, and the Quebecer couldn’t use it. Hilary had sponsors to pay her, Karell didn’t, and coaching here and there was barely paying her apartment, she couldn’t buy herself a brand-new car.

The road to Tampa was long, but they finally made it. Otter and Kaxy spent some days there with Hilary before leaving. They might be going with Casper, but at least they let her the dog! For the first part of the centralisation, there wasn’t much travel, so Hilary could keep Winnie.

Centralisation started rough, like always. It was demanding, she couldn’t pretend it was not. Off days were more than welcome, but she knew if they wanted to beat Canada at the Olympics, they couldn’t take training lightly. They were better at world championship than the North, but it was not granted. They had learned it the hard way in Sochi, and in no way it would repeat again. Hilary wanted that gold medal more than anything.

The first game against Canada was in Quebec City. Karell had made the way from Montreal with some of her teammates that would all end up cheering for Marie-Philip, Laurianne and Mélodie. But Canada didn’t show up, and the crowd was the more silent Hilary ever heard in Canada. Their team’s performance probably didn’t help. They won easily, and the opponent coach was frustrated, and it showed. The way she answered to journalists…

Hilary saw Karell and got the chance to talk a bit with her before having to leave for Boston. They were flying right after the game, and Hilary was disappointed she couldn’t see her girlfriend.

The reverse of Quebec game happened some days later in Boston, and this time, it’s her team that didn’t perform. Canada wanted their revenge and got it. Hilary was pissed at herself, at her team, because they had showed some lacks, and they had not played their usual speed. They had to get better, the team looked like they couldn’t play defensively. She knew they were better than that.

They got their revenge at the four nation, and won all their games. Hilary couldn’t wait for the thanksgiving break that was coming. She was not going to celebrate it with her family this time, she was taking a direct flight to Montreal with Winnie. She missed her girlfriend a lot, and spending time there was all she needed. And she couldn’t take the dog to their road trip and they would soon leave for Pyeongchang, so it was the time to give Winnie to his second mom. And all the veterans on the American team wanted some picture of baby Liv, so it gave her an excuse to visit Chuey and take news of how she was doing with motherhood.

Hilary had always loved Montreal from plane view, especially at night. She decided to put the picture on Instagram, who would recognize the city anyway? She thought most people would think she was going in Idaho or something like that. Who spends American Thanksgiving in Canada?

The first thing she noticed when Karell picked her up at Pierre-Elliot Trudeau airport is that Casper was disgusting. Clearly, Karell would have wash it a little. The Quebecer used the excuse that there was now snow on the ground and sand and salt on the road was dirtying the car. Hilary pretended to be offended by how her girlfriend was treating her car. A picture at day light was necessary, and Hilary decided that posting it on social medias could be a little revenge.

She spent two days with Karell and it was nice to be around her. She didn’t do a lot of things, but that was what she needed. On an afternoon, Karell drove her to Julie’s apartment. It was impossible Hilary left without seeing that little baby.

Liv was sleeping the whole time Hilary was there, but at least, she still took her in her arms without making her cry. Karell made the comment Hilary was good with babies, but the American only laughed. She was just holding her, not like… babysitting her!

Spending time with her former captain was nice, and Hilary asked some advice to her, even if she herself already went through two centralisations already. Julie had always the nicest words to say. At some point, Caroline and Karell started speaking in French, and Hilary lost them a little, but was surprised she was understanding some things here and there. She didn’t tell Karell, though. She wanted to learn French by herself without her knowing, and totally surprise her one day and propose her Frenchie in her native tongue.

Hilary drove all the way down to Florida with Casper. She knew she was going to miss her dog, but she had no other choice. She was not going back to Montreal before the game in Winnipeg. She’d see her bulldog for Christmas…

Hilary was waiting for her plane after the game in Manitoba when she noticed she had an Instagram notification from Otter. She had sent Winnie a toy and Karell had posted it on the dog’s account. Hilary was happy her girlfriend was good with posting pictures; Winnie’s account would still have new stuff even if she didn’t have the dog anymore.

Karell even posted a story on the dog’s Instagram. It was him playing with his toy, obviously. Usually, Hilary was speaking to the dog in those type of video, but Karell never did, Hilary and Karell didn’t want to make it obvious it was the Quebecer. Ok, fans were not stupid, they knew it was not Otter that had it, but it could have been Hilary’s parents or something.

A detail got the attention of Hilary. She could hear the TV in the background. She watched the story a second time. She had not heard it wrong, it was a sport analysis… in French! Karell! Why did she do that? Now the fans would know Hilary dated a Quebecer… She rolled her eyes.

Hilary knew she’d had to tell her fans at some point she was with Karell, but she didn’t know if she wanted to come out publicly. Charline Labonté was the only player having done that, and Hilary knew there was way more gay players. Some of them were out, but didn’t go as big, like Jayna Hefford or Brianne Jenner, but Hilary knew she was too known for it to just not be heard. In women’s hockey, or at least, from what Hilary knew or had heard about, it was often between a quarter or half a team that was gay. On USA team, they were quieter than the Canadians, but it didn’t mean there were less.

Hilary looked at her phone as she heard it was time to enter in the plane. She missed her girl already and she just wanted to call her, hearing her Quebecer accent, or even just listening to her talking to someone else in French. Hilary knew being away from family was a sacrifice she had to make, but long-distance relationship was too hard on Hilary than she wanted to admit. She wanted to go to Montreal and learn French, hearing her friends mocking of her bad accent and trying the particular sounds she never got to understand how to say them. More Hilary was thinking about it, more she felt the need to learn the language. After all, it was now two Frenchies Hilary was dating, it was time. She knew she’d download an app as soon as she’d be home. It was time to practice a speech to one day propose Karell. Because Hilary knew she had a type for brunettes speaking French, and Karell the one she wanted to live old with. The Frenchie was taking all the place in the American’s heart.


End file.
